Corban & Blair - Blog

The ideas outlined below by Maggie are things we at Corban & Blair spend time trying to keep a breast of.

Never underestimate the value of being ’detail-driven’ in creating and maintaining a positive impression with your customers. Meaning that, it’s the attention to the little things that people notice. In fact, if they ‘don’t notice’, that’s even better, as you can get on with business at hand.

I did some consultancy work for a firm that aspired to grow its client base to ‘high worth’ customers. They were a very smart, switched on group of people. However, there were ‘details’ that detracted from their overall business persona.

The big bill item was the fact that one senior staff member ran late for every appointment. There was always a good reason why this occurred, but, it happened frequently both with internal appointments and his customers. His business was the ‘apology business’.

Further, getting more ‘nitty gritty’, there was a certain general disorder in the ‘client accessible’ areas, such as outdated magazines (when will medical practices stop trundling out New Idea 2004!) scattered across the room, flowers in water that had started to grow slime, a receptionist that wore inappropriate business attire and greeted clients in a parochial and overly familiar manner.

For the most part we get ‘used to things’. The scuff marks on shoes, the pulled thread on a coat button, the untidy reception area, the boxes in the corridor, the stale water in a vase, the tardy employee.

However, the ‘total package’ whether of an individual or a company is constantly being scrutinised by those doing business with them. Take time out to do a ‘detail audit’ and enlist a fresh pair of eyes to check out the loose threads in your office.

To summarise

·   Punctuality conveys respect

·   Orderly environments suggest orderly business dealings

·   Friendly, though not familiar, interactions ensure professionalism

·   Personal presentation and grooming communicates self worth and value

Let me know if there are ‘details’ in your business that are devilish!

Maggie

videan@bigpond.net.au

http://www.parexcellence.net.au/maggies-blog/ www.parexcellence.net.au

Maggie’s business aims to assist you: Delight customers • Inspire leadership • Create powerhouse Executive Assistants • Wow audiences • Generate unbridled enthusiasm • Promote sales charisma

Trust

It occurred to me recently when I was under duress to make decisions concerning our technology needs, that TRUST was the element I was grappling with.

WHOM TO TRUST FOR ADVICE when making decisions across various technology platforms such as equipment, software, web site design etc? Technical people come with different perspectives, knowledge, customer skills and vested interests. As our requirements grow, the technology is often supplied by different companies for e.g web site modification, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) installation and upgrades, email campaigns, analytics and reports, equipment upgrades (we recently installed a server with  3 times the speed and x4 thecapacity of our old one), not to mention setting up Facebook,  Twitter, Flickr and Blogs. The cost of these services and the software to make it all work is considerable.

Without CONSIDERED and TRUSTWORTHY advice, making good decisions can be very difficult. We are learning and adapting to change daily- even the experts.

My solution is to choose one person in this network to be my guide. Someone who understands our business and culture, our expertise and what we need to do to deliver wonderful products to our customers.

See a blog I have found – Trusting Digital marketing

http://elenaibanez.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/digital-marketing-trusting-the-experts/

SmartCompany.com.au

smartcompany@email.impactdata.com.au

We highly recommend the free newsletter Smartcompany. It keeps us up to date with what is happening in the business world. As we also retail and sell into the retail sector I was most interested to see Paco Underhill’s new book reviewed.

Retail trends: Kevin Moore. Retail guru Paco Underhill’s new book – What Women Want – examines our lives as shoppers and is definitely worth a look. Apply to receive the smart company yourself.

The Australia Post Lunch- provided an insight into managing one of Australia’s most trusted brands though massive technological change.

I went to this lunch recently and below is the follow-up by Anthony Hollis CEO Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce. I think it is useful, relevant and thoughtful.

The follow up email below contains the talk and other information. It was a stimulating presentation and provided insight into how the Post Office is managing change and using a strong culture to support new business strategy.

Dear Gillian,

Thank you for joining us at Monday’s business lunch with David Mortimer AO, Chairman & Ahmed Fahour, Managing Director & CEO, Australia Post, in conversation with Brooke Corte, Sky News Business Channel. We trust that you found the discussion thought provoking and enjoyable.

Please click here to see photos, the full video and media from the event.

Our thanks to Tim Ebbeck, President & Managing Director, SAP Australia and Michael Andrew, National Chairman, KPMG Australia for generously partnering with us.

Please consider supporting the great work of Red Kite Australia.

For more information on the benefits of a Chamber membership, including access to on-line guest lists, over 40 member-only events per annum and reduced rates to other events, please contact Mark Herman by email or on (02) 9326 1700 or visit our website.

Best wishes,

Anthony

The Chamber – Celebrating 40 years of Thought Leadership!

______________________________

Anthony Hollis Chief Executive Officer, NSW Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce

For all event queries, please contact Louise Sharp, Event Manager on (02) 9326 1700

395 New South Head Rd, Double Bay NSW 2028 Ph: (02) 9326 1700 www.aicc.org.au

Corban & Blair have chosen not to exhibit at the August Trade Fairs, focusing on both on-line and off-line business strategies with our retailers.

For all those retailers setting off to Melbourne on their annual buying trip we’d also like to draw to your attention the opportunity of learning and gaining insights into improving business through a seminar based Business Development Program. Since the GFC retail has experienced some tough times, so learning new things, getting ideas and simply being motivated is a great thing to do.  We’d recommend you set aside some time to participate in the Program.

Reed Gift Fairs, Business Development Program is running  throughout the Fair offering a comprehensive program of seminar style session covering the following topics:

• The 100 minute MBA of Retail Trading
• Grow, Diversify and Out-manoeuvre Your Competition
• Control Your Buying
• Visual merchandising for the small(er) retailer
• Local Area marketing
• The Power of 2 Purchase – How customer data gives wholesalers and manufacturers the power retail distribution.
• Retain or acquire? Are your current customers feeding your business or do you need new ones?
• Find Your Perfect Match

In this final seminar I will be contributing as a supplier with Kate Moriarty from Stem a successful on-trend design store in Balmain.  By clicking the [red] link below you can Reserve Your Place!

Reserve your Place       Reed Gift Fair: 7 – 11 August

Find Your Perfect Match

Presented by Michael Neaylon – Director, MCME

Monday 9 August 11.00am – 12.30pm

What makes the perfect retailer / wholesaler relationship? Does such a partnership exist? In this highly interactive seminar, we discuss how partnership of various kind can be successful. Packed with real stories from new and leading wholesalers and retailers, find out how you can make these vital relationships transparent, enjoyable… and profitable. Make it a date.

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre and Melbourne Showgrounds

This season we are not exhibiting at the Trade Show we are launching our products on-line with the newsletter below.

This is an experiment to see if it is easier and more informative for our customers. The newsletter provides a comprehensive view of what we offer to the retail sector as well as the wider business community.

This of course has to be supported with many other strategies, as the downside of an on-line launch is that people may not get it, it may go into spam or their computer may not read it… so we follow up with a phone call, contact from our agents, appointment for product showings, our new catalogue and further information about our new promotion- buy one of our leather Duet products and be eligible to go into a draw to win our new The Story Book.

So far after 18 hours we have had 2 orders, change of address information and a number of really nice communications with our retail customers.

We will only know if this strategy has been successful at the end of the selling season. A few months to wait! We are keeping fingers and toes crossed.

If you would like to receive this newsletter email me on info@corbanblair.com.au

I went to this last year and learned a lot. I hope this year will be as useful. www.onlineretailer.net/reviews.

Last week I had the luxury of rumination -this week it was solution finding.

When you have the best of plans and a set of expectations around an outcome and it does not happen. It is SO CONFRONTING.

Your mind goes immediately to why did this happen? How did it happen, who or what is responsible? and what will we do about it really quickly.

We held our June sale last weekend. We go to a lot of trouble to merchandise it so it looks gorgeous and colourful. It takes several of us about a week to get it in place. We are fussy and want to present our brand well, even during a sale.

We became aware that something was not quite right when the flow of people was a little different than usual and more than one mentioned they had not received their usual invitation.

The glitch was in the email communication where 6000 of our key customers did not receive their invitation. This was a very costly mistake. We have been in business long enough to know that mistakes happen (unfortunately) and what you do about them is what counts. Never making the same mistake again is also a good idea.

The team at Corban & Blair found the glitch very quickly. They put a new system in place and arranged to have a POP IN sale in July for customers who missed out. We had our solution in place in a few hours. This is more hard work (stationery and frames are heavy) but (we hope) this will work for our customers.

If you are also a business owner you will understand the implications that such a small glitch can have on your thinking – you ask yourself questions like is our business logic, current strategies, our brand and product designs and our current communication strategies relevant? Probably not a bad evaluation process to go through in a hurry, but I would not want it to happen often.

See below invitation to our JULY POP IN SALE at Lewisham 30 and 31^st July as well as our 15% off retail On-line SALE.

The nature and purpose of THE SALE has changed.

We are in the midst of our June sale and have been holding mid year clearance sales for the past 20 years.

We do this for several reasons:-

To clean out samples and left over materials ready for the next collection. To sell end of line items and get rid of damaged (not quite perfect stock) as well as sell at reduced prices those items that couriers sometimes play foot ball with. We make available large frames and not standard frames that are too difficult to send by courier. It is also useful cash flow at the end of the financial year.

Our sale is at our work premises and enables everyone who works here to participate and talk to and meet our brand followers. We also watch what interests them and at what price- after all we are product developers.

This used to be why we had sales.

Seeing our sale stock beautifully merchanised is always time for reflection.

In the past we have had some huge sales, usually around Christmas. I think this is now a thing of the past as the major players in the retail environment see markdowns as regular strategy so customers do not see sales as special or an opportunity anymore- just more of the same. This has changed the value of what things appear to cost.

We would miss having our bi annual sales as it is a whole company effort, Amanda and I make the food for the first night drinks, everyone works extra our accountant and family included. It is a diversion and we get to see lots of customers, friends and new clients.

As things change so quickly, I wonder how we will adapt and incorporate this sale mentality into our regular strategy.

I am interested in what other people think of the nature of “THE SALE”. Have we ruined them? If you have other ideas let me know. Thanks.

Writing copy that attracts people to read it is one of our new big challenges.

With so much interesting content around- what makes you stop* read* think* and act? Does anything any more?

Expert fundraising copywriter Jill Ruchel ruminates.

In 2008 I was lucky enough to spend a splendid evening visiting the wonderful Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Sydney, a display of some 150 sculptures carefully placed along the glorious cliff walk from Tamarama to Bondi.

I had been thinking a good deal about the current world financial crisis and what it meant for fundraising, when I saw the winning sculpture.

Created by Mark McLelland, it was a large block of steel, perhaps two and a half metres high, with a key shaped space in the middle. But the space ran horizontally, creating a fabulous tension between the pressing weight above it and the bulk below, like a roiling emptiness of energy.

In that moment, what struck me was that what was important in dealing with fundraising in a recession or financial crisis is not what is happening – it’s what’s missing.

Tough times are the perfect time to do something innovative, something that hasn’t been done before, or hasn’t been done that way.

It’s like the old adage – if you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.

When you think about it, being bold and being fresh is important all the time. Anyone can copy what you do, but if they can’t compete with you for boldness, ideas and initiative, they’ll always be followers and never leaders.

So don’t be afraid to try something new. It might not work. It might turn out to be wrong. But it might succeed fabulously. Either way you get an outcome, you’re sure to learn something. And it’s always better to do something than nothing.

www.praxisfundraising.com.au